“I had taken a moment too long, the bull was quartering quickly away. I knew I couldn’t responsibly take the shot…I had done just enough right to get the chance, and I had done just enough wrong to blow it.”
WARNING- This post is overly detailed. I can’t help myself. But, if you’re interested in spending some time in the off season living a hunt vicariously, then here’s your post. Grab some whiskey, settle in, and I hope you’ll read and enjoy.
I wanted to share my experiences and reflections on my most recent hunt because I selfishly want to hear from people much more experienced than I am about the mistakes I made so that I hopefully can avoid those mistakes the next time.
A little context- I’m pretty novice. I’m only in my 3rd season hunting Elk. I have only hunted public land and always DIY (with lots of help from a knowledgeable/experienced brother who lives 4 states away). I live in the central mountains of Colorado and hunt in the unit where I live. Unfortunately, I’m a school principal and fall is a damn busy time for me, so I hunt hard on weekends and evenings but my time in the field is limited.
A buddy from out of town drove in to tag along on opening day with me and we hunted an area where I had scouted the most and saw the most sign. We got on the road around 4am and were solidly in place where I wanted to hunt by about 15 minutes before shooting light- I wished we had gotten up sooner. I’m amazed by how fast those hours on opening morning go. Before we knew it, it was 10:30 and the best window of the day was gone.
We hunted hard all day, moving around quite a bit- spent some midday hours of sneaking through timber, then still hunting through aspens, and sitting on a travel paths in the evening; the most excitement we got was a nice Mulie’s butt as he was stotting away from us.
Opening day was done for. We drank 2 of the little whiskey bottles we brought as we sat for the last hour of the day; they were supposed to be saved for the celebration of my first elk. I made sure to save one for me, hopefully to drink the next day…
My friend had to take off early the next morning and this is where the story get’s a little more exciting. My plan was to go back to where we had hunted the day before but to hunt it in a different way.
I drove to the trailhead in total darkness. As I’m driving the last bit of pavement before it goes to dirt, a weird shape catches my eye in the field to my left. And then another. Didn't seem like moo-cows. I hit the brakes, reversed, and angled my truck to see into the field. I find myself looking at two mature bulls, about 10 and 30 yards off the road respectively. Neither are massive, herd-bull types, but they were both at least big-bodied 5x5, maybe better (I think one was a 6x6).
I immediately marked the spot on my map. I knew they were on private the second I saw them and my map confirmed that, though I wish I had spent a little more time studying the map in that moment. Mistake #1.
I had my plan in place for the day, and seeing a few bulls on private wasn’t enough to shake me off it. I went and hunted the morning, but I kept thinking about those bulls.
Eventually, the thought was pulling me enough to get me to walk out of my morning spot by midday. I went home, studied the map, and made a plan. The private that I saw the bulls on had some public butted up to it, and I suspected that they were bedding up on the public land above it and feeding out onto the private at night. I planned to hike up the backside of the ridge that overlooked the private and hoped to see them getting out of bed from above them.
I bushwhacked through some really steep and nasty stuff (Oakbrush, why are you so evil…?) but finally found my way up to the ridge to a great glassing spot.
I got glassing and only about 5 minutes in, out steps a bull right into my bino view. And then another. And a 3rd. My heart skipped a beat. I realize how novice this sounds (and is), but in my 3 years of elk hunting this was the first time I had even seen elk in the field during the season. I watched them for a short time; they sat down on a little bench on the back of a small knob. I was able to use the topography to pinpoint where they sat down. It was 1.21 miles away. I was well above them on the ridge, but by that time I only had about 55 minutes of legal light left. I was between them and the field of private I saw them on that morning, so if they were on the same program then they should be heading toward me.
I knew they must be moving toward me and I thought I might have just enough time to catch them before shooting light ran out or before they got to the private. Here was the situation on the map:
I was off the ridge and on my way. Huffing fast and hard toward them was such a departure from the way I had been used to walking while hunting- I couldn’t care less about how loud I was being, I just had to cover as much ground as I could and hope that the elk were doing the same thing.
The whole time I’m doing this, I’m exhausted. I had to stop more often than I would have liked- I had come down steep skree initially but then was bushwhacking through oak brusk again and having to side-hill/make up elevation again to stay on the right track. I also had to continually make sure I wasn’t getting too close to the private that was below.
As I’m working along, I keep telling myself over and over- “don’t take a shot you’re not confident in. Don’t take a shot you’re not confident in” and I knew how tired and juiced up my body was. I told myself that I had to have something to rest my gun on for the shot, if I were to get one. “Right now, with the exhaustion and adrenaline, you CANNOT take a free standing shot,” was the definitive thought I had. I wish I hadn’t been so conclusive on that decision in my head at that point, mistake #2.
I stopped to check my map and catch my breath, there were about 15 minutes of shooting light and I still hadn’t come across the bulls. I wasted a few minutes then deciding what to do- should I sit on this little clearing and hope they come to me? Should I keep moving toward them?
After changing my mind a few times, I decided that there just wasn’t the time for me to wait- I had to keep moving toward them.
So, I had a little more than 10 minutes of light. It was now or never. I followed the sage brush road that I inferred they were traveling, which was gently sloping up to a small false ridge above. As I went up toward the ridge, I had my brother’s voice in my head, “SLOW DOWN. GO SLOW WHEN CRESTING. SLOW DOWN.” Especially as I got to the top of the false ridge, I emphasized this in my head.
The wind was PERFECT by the way- I was heading straight into it as it poured downhill.
Welp, I didn’t slow down enough. MAJOR mistake #3. As I crested the ridge, I heard movement first, then I saw the first bull. He saw me and spooked about 15 yards uphill and behind a tree/bush. He then stuck just his head/neck out- it looked just like this (this is my own photoshopped reenactment haha, the bull wasn’t this big but he was sure big enough to have my heart beating a hundred miles a minute):
This is where the whole encounter is a bit of a blur for me, here’s what I think happened: I got my range finder out to get a sure range. I should have just known the shot was within a distance that I didn’t have to do much adjusting up or down because he was close enough, but I felt the need to range anyway. My rangefinder was acting screwy in the low-light and the whole screen was red, but I was able to finally figure that he was a little over 150 yards. (pseudo mistake- I should have had a better feel for the range).
Keep in mind- this is my first real chance at filling an elk tag in my life and I definitely panicked a bit. Because I had been so forceful with myself in deciding that I couldn’t attempt a free standing shot, I tried to get prone. I was right on the edge of that mini false-ridge that allowed me to have an uphill view of the elk. I *tried* to get prone, but my big frame pack wouldn’t let me see through my scope. I had made a huge mistake in not taking my pack off right away and using it as my rest. (Mistakes #4 and 5- not taking pack off, not using pack as rest). I was finally able to get a good view through my scope and my 3-5 second window with him broadside had come and gone. I didn’t think quickly enough to get out my cow call and at least try to stop him, mistake #6.
I had taken a moment too long, the bull was quartering quickly away. I knew I couldn’t responsibly take the shot…I had done just enough right to get the chance, and I had done just enough wrong to blow it.
Yet another mistake I made was not considering a neck shot. As I have told this story to more experienced hunters, they’ve made it very clear to me that at 150 yards the neck shot would have been viable as he was staring at me from behind the bush. That was the longest window of time that I had while he was still but I didn’t even consider taking that shot. Mistake #7
So, that bull was gone but there was still a slightly smaller bull hanging out a little above where that one stared me down. He was so restless after his buddy bumped off that he just wouldn’t stop and kept moving up the hill and away from me. Bummer. Chance had, chance missed.
My final mistake was not waiting long enough before walking out. I waited 10-15 minutes but I had to walk in the direction that I had bumped the elk. I’m almost 100% sure they didn’t wind me in the initial encounter, but then as I walked out I ended up bumping them hard and I’m pretty certain they did wind me then. I ended up hunting this area more days this season, hoping I would catch them doing the same thing, but on reflection I wonder if this hard bump as I walked out moved them elsewhere. Mistake #8
So, I did some things right. What I was proud of was the fact that I got a little lucky to spot these elk on my morning drive, but I parlayed that luck into a legit chance at a nice bull. But, I made way too many mistakes and ultimately didn’t deserve that animal. Here they are summed up:
Mistakes
1) When I saw the elk in the morning, I should have taken more time to predict what they were doing and I could have realized that there was public access right near where I was and had a shot at them.
2) On my hike toward the elk, I was so definitive in my head that I would not allow myself to make a free standing shot. I wish I had at least pulled my gun up and seen how it felt. I think I’m responsible enough to not pull the trigger, but I needed to trust myself to at least give it a look.
3) My biggest mistake overall- I simply did not slow down enough when cresting the false ridge. Needed really, really put the sneak on, especially because I knew that if they weren’t beyond that ridge I wouldn’t have had enough time anyway.
4) Psuedo mistake that comes with more experience- should have had a better feel for the range instead of fumbling with my range finder.
5) Didn’t take off my pack right away when I encountered the bulls. I would have had time and I think it would have helped majorly.
6) Related to the above, I didn’t have a rest to shoot from and my pack would have worked perfectly.
7) Didn’t try to cow call to stop the bull as he quartered away.
8) Didn’t consider a neck shot, even though it was viable and possible even preferable for that situation.
9) Didn’t wait long enough before walking out and hard bumped them.
Thanks for reading this far if you did! I’d love any feedback, reflections, or discussion on what I could have or should have done differently. I’m always looking to learn fro mistakes and, just as importantly, from more experienced hunters. Would love any knowledge you’re willing to share. Thank you!
WARNING- This post is overly detailed. I can’t help myself. But, if you’re interested in spending some time in the off season living a hunt vicariously, then here’s your post. Grab some whiskey, settle in, and I hope you’ll read and enjoy.
I wanted to share my experiences and reflections on my most recent hunt because I selfishly want to hear from people much more experienced than I am about the mistakes I made so that I hopefully can avoid those mistakes the next time.
A little context- I’m pretty novice. I’m only in my 3rd season hunting Elk. I have only hunted public land and always DIY (with lots of help from a knowledgeable/experienced brother who lives 4 states away). I live in the central mountains of Colorado and hunt in the unit where I live. Unfortunately, I’m a school principal and fall is a damn busy time for me, so I hunt hard on weekends and evenings but my time in the field is limited.
A buddy from out of town drove in to tag along on opening day with me and we hunted an area where I had scouted the most and saw the most sign. We got on the road around 4am and were solidly in place where I wanted to hunt by about 15 minutes before shooting light- I wished we had gotten up sooner. I’m amazed by how fast those hours on opening morning go. Before we knew it, it was 10:30 and the best window of the day was gone.
We hunted hard all day, moving around quite a bit- spent some midday hours of sneaking through timber, then still hunting through aspens, and sitting on a travel paths in the evening; the most excitement we got was a nice Mulie’s butt as he was stotting away from us.
Opening day was done for. We drank 2 of the little whiskey bottles we brought as we sat for the last hour of the day; they were supposed to be saved for the celebration of my first elk. I made sure to save one for me, hopefully to drink the next day…
My friend had to take off early the next morning and this is where the story get’s a little more exciting. My plan was to go back to where we had hunted the day before but to hunt it in a different way.
I drove to the trailhead in total darkness. As I’m driving the last bit of pavement before it goes to dirt, a weird shape catches my eye in the field to my left. And then another. Didn't seem like moo-cows. I hit the brakes, reversed, and angled my truck to see into the field. I find myself looking at two mature bulls, about 10 and 30 yards off the road respectively. Neither are massive, herd-bull types, but they were both at least big-bodied 5x5, maybe better (I think one was a 6x6).
I immediately marked the spot on my map. I knew they were on private the second I saw them and my map confirmed that, though I wish I had spent a little more time studying the map in that moment. Mistake #1.
I had my plan in place for the day, and seeing a few bulls on private wasn’t enough to shake me off it. I went and hunted the morning, but I kept thinking about those bulls.
Eventually, the thought was pulling me enough to get me to walk out of my morning spot by midday. I went home, studied the map, and made a plan. The private that I saw the bulls on had some public butted up to it, and I suspected that they were bedding up on the public land above it and feeding out onto the private at night. I planned to hike up the backside of the ridge that overlooked the private and hoped to see them getting out of bed from above them.
I bushwhacked through some really steep and nasty stuff (Oakbrush, why are you so evil…?) but finally found my way up to the ridge to a great glassing spot.
I got glassing and only about 5 minutes in, out steps a bull right into my bino view. And then another. And a 3rd. My heart skipped a beat. I realize how novice this sounds (and is), but in my 3 years of elk hunting this was the first time I had even seen elk in the field during the season. I watched them for a short time; they sat down on a little bench on the back of a small knob. I was able to use the topography to pinpoint where they sat down. It was 1.21 miles away. I was well above them on the ridge, but by that time I only had about 55 minutes of legal light left. I was between them and the field of private I saw them on that morning, so if they were on the same program then they should be heading toward me.
I knew they must be moving toward me and I thought I might have just enough time to catch them before shooting light ran out or before they got to the private. Here was the situation on the map:
I was off the ridge and on my way. Huffing fast and hard toward them was such a departure from the way I had been used to walking while hunting- I couldn’t care less about how loud I was being, I just had to cover as much ground as I could and hope that the elk were doing the same thing.
The whole time I’m doing this, I’m exhausted. I had to stop more often than I would have liked- I had come down steep skree initially but then was bushwhacking through oak brusk again and having to side-hill/make up elevation again to stay on the right track. I also had to continually make sure I wasn’t getting too close to the private that was below.
As I’m working along, I keep telling myself over and over- “don’t take a shot you’re not confident in. Don’t take a shot you’re not confident in” and I knew how tired and juiced up my body was. I told myself that I had to have something to rest my gun on for the shot, if I were to get one. “Right now, with the exhaustion and adrenaline, you CANNOT take a free standing shot,” was the definitive thought I had. I wish I hadn’t been so conclusive on that decision in my head at that point, mistake #2.
I stopped to check my map and catch my breath, there were about 15 minutes of shooting light and I still hadn’t come across the bulls. I wasted a few minutes then deciding what to do- should I sit on this little clearing and hope they come to me? Should I keep moving toward them?
After changing my mind a few times, I decided that there just wasn’t the time for me to wait- I had to keep moving toward them.
So, I had a little more than 10 minutes of light. It was now or never. I followed the sage brush road that I inferred they were traveling, which was gently sloping up to a small false ridge above. As I went up toward the ridge, I had my brother’s voice in my head, “SLOW DOWN. GO SLOW WHEN CRESTING. SLOW DOWN.” Especially as I got to the top of the false ridge, I emphasized this in my head.
The wind was PERFECT by the way- I was heading straight into it as it poured downhill.
Welp, I didn’t slow down enough. MAJOR mistake #3. As I crested the ridge, I heard movement first, then I saw the first bull. He saw me and spooked about 15 yards uphill and behind a tree/bush. He then stuck just his head/neck out- it looked just like this (this is my own photoshopped reenactment haha, the bull wasn’t this big but he was sure big enough to have my heart beating a hundred miles a minute):
This is where the whole encounter is a bit of a blur for me, here’s what I think happened: I got my range finder out to get a sure range. I should have just known the shot was within a distance that I didn’t have to do much adjusting up or down because he was close enough, but I felt the need to range anyway. My rangefinder was acting screwy in the low-light and the whole screen was red, but I was able to finally figure that he was a little over 150 yards. (pseudo mistake- I should have had a better feel for the range).
Keep in mind- this is my first real chance at filling an elk tag in my life and I definitely panicked a bit. Because I had been so forceful with myself in deciding that I couldn’t attempt a free standing shot, I tried to get prone. I was right on the edge of that mini false-ridge that allowed me to have an uphill view of the elk. I *tried* to get prone, but my big frame pack wouldn’t let me see through my scope. I had made a huge mistake in not taking my pack off right away and using it as my rest. (Mistakes #4 and 5- not taking pack off, not using pack as rest). I was finally able to get a good view through my scope and my 3-5 second window with him broadside had come and gone. I didn’t think quickly enough to get out my cow call and at least try to stop him, mistake #6.
I had taken a moment too long, the bull was quartering quickly away. I knew I couldn’t responsibly take the shot…I had done just enough right to get the chance, and I had done just enough wrong to blow it.
Yet another mistake I made was not considering a neck shot. As I have told this story to more experienced hunters, they’ve made it very clear to me that at 150 yards the neck shot would have been viable as he was staring at me from behind the bush. That was the longest window of time that I had while he was still but I didn’t even consider taking that shot. Mistake #7
So, that bull was gone but there was still a slightly smaller bull hanging out a little above where that one stared me down. He was so restless after his buddy bumped off that he just wouldn’t stop and kept moving up the hill and away from me. Bummer. Chance had, chance missed.
My final mistake was not waiting long enough before walking out. I waited 10-15 minutes but I had to walk in the direction that I had bumped the elk. I’m almost 100% sure they didn’t wind me in the initial encounter, but then as I walked out I ended up bumping them hard and I’m pretty certain they did wind me then. I ended up hunting this area more days this season, hoping I would catch them doing the same thing, but on reflection I wonder if this hard bump as I walked out moved them elsewhere. Mistake #8
So, I did some things right. What I was proud of was the fact that I got a little lucky to spot these elk on my morning drive, but I parlayed that luck into a legit chance at a nice bull. But, I made way too many mistakes and ultimately didn’t deserve that animal. Here they are summed up:
Mistakes
1) When I saw the elk in the morning, I should have taken more time to predict what they were doing and I could have realized that there was public access right near where I was and had a shot at them.
2) On my hike toward the elk, I was so definitive in my head that I would not allow myself to make a free standing shot. I wish I had at least pulled my gun up and seen how it felt. I think I’m responsible enough to not pull the trigger, but I needed to trust myself to at least give it a look.
3) My biggest mistake overall- I simply did not slow down enough when cresting the false ridge. Needed really, really put the sneak on, especially because I knew that if they weren’t beyond that ridge I wouldn’t have had enough time anyway.
4) Psuedo mistake that comes with more experience- should have had a better feel for the range instead of fumbling with my range finder.
5) Didn’t take off my pack right away when I encountered the bulls. I would have had time and I think it would have helped majorly.
6) Related to the above, I didn’t have a rest to shoot from and my pack would have worked perfectly.
7) Didn’t try to cow call to stop the bull as he quartered away.
8) Didn’t consider a neck shot, even though it was viable and possible even preferable for that situation.
9) Didn’t wait long enough before walking out and hard bumped them.
Thanks for reading this far if you did! I’d love any feedback, reflections, or discussion on what I could have or should have done differently. I’m always looking to learn fro mistakes and, just as importantly, from more experienced hunters. Would love any knowledge you’re willing to share. Thank you!
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